New Zealander Taika Waititi exploded onto the international scene thanks to his work with Flight of the Conchords' Jemaine Clement. His sardonic wit made him an instant celebrity in his home country, but it wasn't until his mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows (2014) that folks outside of New Zealand really began to take notice of all this funnyman had to offer! After making the similarly acclaimed indie Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016), his star exploded when he landed the job of directing the MCU threequel Thor: Ragnarok (2017). His sixth feature, Jojo Rabbit (2019), earned six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, while Waititi himself won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. Since then, he's become one of the most in-demand creators in the entertainment industry, with 2022 being an especially big year for him. Not only did he direct another MCU flick, Thor: Love and Thunder (2022), he also co-created and starred in the hit HBO Max series Our Flag Means Death! Here, Waititi plays the villainous Blackbeard as a gay man trying to find love on the high seas in the midst of all his pirate related chicanery! In the first season's penultimate episode, Waititi and co-star Rhys Darby (who also co-created the series and is a fellow New Zealander) shared a tender kiss that's sure to enflame your passions right alongside them! Whatever it is that Taika does next, we hope he takes a role that allows him to show off his Waititi... if you catch our drift!
